If there was still any doubt that faring well at the annual contest can offer a lasting boost to the careers of the young winners and finalists, a quick glance at some of the talent performing on other stages this year should put it to rest.

First we have last year’s winner Christian Hudson, the singer-songwriter who wowed fans and pulled heartstrings by taking the $10,000 top prize and immediately donating it to the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre. He headlined his own show at the Coca-Cola Stage last Thursday.

Trevor Panczak, the 1999 champ, sang the national anthem to open the TransAlta Stampede Grandstand Show on Friday.

And, yes, that was 2012 winner Annika Odegard floating above the crowd on a grand piano and singing Prince’s Purple Rain during the same show.

The lead songstress and host of Grand Spectacular, the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show, is Calgary’s own Annika Odegard. Joni Millar /
Calgary Herald

Finally, country superstar Paul Brandt, whose career got off to an early gallop in 1992 after he won the talent search, led the Calgary Stampede parade alongside Jann Arden this year. He also showed up, very quietly, with his family a few nights into the preliminary rounds to show support for a friend who was competing.

“Our champion family is growing in their accomplishments and also in their ability to really represent the quality of performances that have been at the talent search,” says Shawna Robinson of the Stampede Talent Search Committee.

Having Brandt and other high-profile past participants — Michael Bernard Fitzgerald won in 2007 and dance-pop superstar Keisza competed a few years back — has no doubt played a role in spreading the news about the contest and the career possibilities that await the victor.

More than 300 auditioned throughout Canada for the search. That was whittled down to 67 performers aged 13 to 21, who come from Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Ontario. There are also seven junior performers, aged six to 12, who are performing this week but are not in competition. The top 24 competed at the Boyce Theatre Thursday and Friday in front of a panel of judges that included producer Pat McGannon, vocal coach Lauren Ireland and dancer/choreographer Tanya Chumak.

While the contest has always been dominated by singers and musicians, competitors this year also included a number of dancers, a “yo-yo artist” and, for the first time in the contest’s history, a cheerleader.

“She comes on with two big burly dudes,” says Robinson. “We actually had to remove lights from the stage in order to accommodate some of the throws that she does. Literally, you can see her, they launch her and she disappears into the rafters and she comes back down. That was spectacular.”

On Saturday, the top 12 finalists will compete for the $10,000 among other prizes before a new set of judges, including Tamara Beatty, a vocal coach and consultant on NBC’s The Voice; producer Spencer Cheyne, Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre and entrepreneur and former CBC “Dragon” W. Brett Wilson.

“I think the word is getting out on several things,” Robinson says. “No. 1, this is one of the biggest cash prizes available for amateur performers. $10,000 cash is a big deal. I think it also speaks to the quality of the production of our show. Some of these kids are performing with a live band. They’ve got rehearsal on stage during the day, there’s a professional set and lighting and sound crew. It’s the closest thing to a professional performance that an amateur performer will get. Open mikes don’t have that, coffee shops don’t have that. I think that is setting our competition apart.”

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